Citing White House aides, The New York Times reported last week that President Joe Biden said he would have “abandoned Israel” had Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a large-scale attack in response to Iran’s attack on Israel.
Although Israel has not yet retaliated, the aggressive direct attack on April 13 – 170 drones, 30-plus cruise missiles, and more than 120 ballistic missiles – was a first, following decades of Iran’s attempts to destroy Israel’s safety and security via proxies.
The decision to attack cannot be minimized or attributed to Iran’s lack of success. If not for the miraculous synchronization of Israel’s various anti-missile defense systems, the attack could have crippled Israel. The fact that it did not has experts baffled.
Unfortunately, Netanyahu buckled under Biden’s threat and did not launch an appropriate counterattack, a natural and expected response from any other country. What’s more, it is common knowledge that Iran will continue to try and attack Israel; they have said as much outright.
The fact is that Iran remains an existential threat to Israel.
RATHER THAN continue the dance of capitulation and appeasement keeping Israel in an ongoing loop that threatens its very existence, Israel’s leaders should learn from history and adopt a new, healthier approach, one that is based on the following three key historic diplomatic challenges with the United States.
Israel's three diplomatic challenges throughout history
• The 1948 War of Independence: Before David Ben-Gurion announced the establishment of the State of Israel, he sent Sharett to secure US approval from President Harry Truman. Truman’s administration warned Sharett that America did not support Israel’s establishment and would not support Israel if and when Arab armies would attack.
Ben-Gurion did not buckle under Truman’s threat, and the US did not help Israel as Arab armies attacked the fledgling Jewish state. Israel was victorious nonetheless, resulting in today’s modern State of Israel.
• The 1973 Yom Kippur War: With an impending attack against Israel by its Arab neighbors, the Nixon administration insisted that Israel “desist from a full-scale mobilization” of its reserve forces and not conduct a preemptive attack. Golda Meir, then prime minister, capitulated to US demands, which resulted in Israel paying a huge price: More than 2,000 Israeli soldiers were killed, Israel was demoralized, and Israel was threatened with near-total destruction.
• The 1981 Osirak bombing: When then-president Ronald Reagan warned then-prime minister Menachem Begin not to bomb the Iraqi nuclear reactor, Begin nevertheless decided that doing so was the only course for Israel’s continued existence.
In response, the Reagan administration sanctioned Israel with several measures, including suspending the delivery of F-16 fighter jets. Yet, at a press conference on June 7, 1981, Reagan stated that while the United States had expressed concern about the attack initially, subsequent evidence showed that Iraq was indeed working toward developing a nuclear weapon, justifying Israel’s preemptive strike.
This public statement signaled a shift in the US position toward understanding Israel’s motivations and actions in the context of regional security concerns. But Israel paid a steep price for doing what it had to do to end the Iraqi nuclear reactor threat.
AMERICA MAKES a lot of noise publicly to condition its support for Israel and has done so since the establishment of the state. Yet, when Israel’s leaders move ahead with policies more aggressive than what America can publicly endorse, those decisions have both ensured our survival and proven that the US-Israel relationship can withstand it.
Knowing this, Israel’s leaders must take American pressure today in context. The US is a strong ally, and its opinion matters – to a point. But Israel must do what it takes – regardless of optics or US diplomatic rhetoric – with the confidence of a sovereign nation whose survival is more important than winning a popularity contest. This requires bravery and ideals. There is data to support that this is the only way, at least until the current Middle East landscape changes.
Once again, Israel finds itself fighting on multiple fronts, with the threat reaching the level of existential crisis. Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and other Iranian proxies in Syria, Iraq, and throughout the Middle East make up the tentacles of the dangerous Iranian octopus. The only way to end the Iranian threat to Israel – and to the entire freedom-loving world – is by taking out the head of the octopus, Iran.
And once again, Israel finds itself threatened with dire consequences by our closest ally, should it attempt to sever that head rather than enter into futile negotiations. This metaphorical truth is echoed throughout history, from battles against tyrants to the struggles against terror organizations.
More recently, we unfortunately witnessed the consequence of hesitation and indecision in dealing with rogue states and terror groups. The reluctance to confront evil head-on only emboldens the aggressors. The only effective strategy is to remove the source of evil decisively and swiftly.
Those who oppose decisive action and hinder the eradication of evil regimes only reveal their moral bankruptcy and, worse, expose themselves as complicit. In today’s tumultuous world, the path to justice and security is too often obscured by the fog of appeasement and negotiation pushed by progressive governments like the Biden administration.
The imperative to confront evil without compromise is not merely a matter of policy but a moral obligation. The path to justice and peace lies in the courage to confront and eliminate evil at its root. The public demand for negotiation and appeasement by the current US president and his administration reveals their moral bankruptcy and ignorance of history.
Netanyahu must follow Ben-Gurion and Begin’s path in doing whatever is necessary to protect the country, despite threats from the American administration. He mustn’t make choices like Meir’s, which could lead to countless Israeli deaths. The October 7 death toll is already way too high, with no sign of abating.
Netanyahu may still surprise us. Our lives, and the lives of those across the freedom-loving world – including the persecuted Iranian people – depend on it. Regardless of the Biden administration’s reaction, humanity will be grateful should Israel eliminate the evil and radical Islamic Iranian regime.
The writer hosts the Pulse of Israel daily video/podcast and is the CEO of 12Tribe Films Foundation.